New £2.6m healthcare training facility opens at University

A new clinical training facility has opened at the University of Reading, to provide students and NHS staff with vital learning experience in a simulated hospital environment.

The Clinical Simulation Training Suite is a recreation of a four-bed hospital ward, including specialist equipment, video link facilities and consultation spaces. The facility is located on the University’s Whiteknights campus and has been designed in partnership with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (RBFT) to emulate a typical ward found at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The expansion of an existing facility was made possible by a £2.6m grant from the Office for Students. The funding enabled the investment of equipment such as an anatomage table, which offers innovative 3D anatomy visualisation and virtual dissection tools for the education of anatomy and physiology.

As a joint project between the University and RBFT, through the Health Innovation Partnership, both University students and RBFT employees, as well as healthcare colleagues in the wider community, will benefit from the new facility. It will provide students with the opportunity to practice for clinical placements within a safe environment. It will also enable more extensive inter-professional education, supporting the skills development of current healthcare professionals. 

Professor Orla Kennedy, Strategic Partnership Director for Health at the University of Reading, said:

“The Clinical Simulation Training Suite will help address the urgent need for additional medical and healthcare training spaces in Berkshire, and help meet growing demand for the University’s Physician Associate and other allied health professional programmes.

“This specialist environment will help give our students an insight into what it’s like to work in a real hospital ward, helping to better prepare them for their future career in the healthcare sector.

“We are proud to have worked closely with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust to deliver this new training facility. It is just one example of how we are working together to improve patient care and clinical excellence across the region.”

Dr Janet Lippett, Chief Medical Officer at Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We’re really proud to have developed the new Clinical Simulation Training Suite in conjunction with the University of Reading. Not only will it benefit the next generation of healthcare staff, but it provides unparalleled opportunities for current clinicians to develop their skills and provide outstanding care to local patients.

 “In addition to the Training Suite, our joint research projects and the department of excellence schemes with the University of Reading are helping us develop and innovate healthcare services, providing huge benefits to our community.”